LABEO. 171 



as the head or a little longer or a little shorter, reaching, when folded, the root of the 

 caudal, or beyond. Pectoral fin falcate, nearly as long as or a little longer than the head, 

 not reaching the ventral, the first ray of which falls below the fourth or fifth branched 

 ray of the dorsal. Caudal fin deeply emarginate, crescentic when fully spread out. 

 Caudal peduncle as long as deep or a little deeper than long. Scales finely striated 

 longitudinally, 36-40 ^Fg?^ 4—5^ between the lateral line and the base of the ventral, 

 16 to 18 round the caudal peduncle. 



Specimens in spirit are brown or brownish olive above, the scales often darker at the 

 base, with or without a very indistinct darker lateral band. Young often have dark 

 longitudinal lines running between the series of scales, and a large round dark blotch 

 on the caudal peduncle is constantly present, a character by which very young specimens 

 of this species are easily distinguished at first glance from the young of the preceding 

 species and of L. senegalensis, in which there is instead a similar dark blotch above the 

 pectoral fin. Mr. Loat describes a half-grown specimen from Beni Souef as " dark 

 green, with a patch of pinky lilac on each scale, most marked on the sides of the body, 

 the edges of the scales a brighter green; fins a dull purplish." In specimens from 

 Kosheh, Mr. Loat notes some pink colour on the posterior rays of the dorsal fin and 

 the middle rays of the caudal. The iris was reddish orange, with much black pigment 

 above and on the sides. 



The largest specimen from the Nile seen by me measures 370 millimetres, the largest 

 from West Africa 430. According to Steindachner, the species reaches a length of 

 600 millim. in the Senegal. 



Labeo coubie has a wide distribution, being known from the whole Nile southwards 

 to the Victoria Nile, and the rivers of West Africa from the Senegal to the Niger. It 

 is decidedly rare in the Lower Nile, where, according to Ruppell, small numbers are 

 brought to the Cairo market. The only specimen obtained in the Lower Nile, at Beni 

 Souef, by Mr. Loat is accompanied by the note " a very uncommon fish " ; nor is the 

 species represented by more than one specimen among the very numerous young Labeo 

 collected by him at Luxor. 



The following is a list of the specimens examined by me . — 



1 Cairo. — Ruppell, 1831. (One of the types.) 



1 Beni Souef.— Loat, 27.8.99. 



1 At a regulator near Luxor. — Loat, 11.99. 



2 Assuan.— Loat, 30.9.00. 



1 Abu Hoor, Nubia.— Loat, 18.1.00. 



14 Near Kosheh, Nubia.— Loat, 11-27.3.00. 



3 Hannek, Third Cataract.— Loat, 22-23.4,00. 

 8 Khartum.— Petherick, 1862. 



1 Omdurman. — Loat, 21.5.01. 



1 Sennar, Blue Nile.— Loat, 22.10.01. 



22 



